


Trapped

by Kira7



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ghost Aziraphale (Good Omens), Ghosts, Haunted Houses, Horror, I think I'll have nightmares because of this, I'm in dark mood sorry, M/M, Murder, Negative Thoughts, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Slow To Update, Suicide, Supernatural activities, There'll be scary things you can see in horror movies, dark story, ghost story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:53:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23334169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kira7/pseuds/Kira7
Summary: Ashley Rheingold, a journalist, bought a new house after her divorce; they told her it had a dark story behind, a tragedy happened, but she didn't believe it. Would she?
Relationships: Anathema Device/Newton Pulsifer, Aziraphale (Good Omens) & Original Female Character(s), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	1. Preface

**Author's Note:**

> I know with this situation, people need to read sweet stories, but I can't do it, I need something tragic, I'm sorry for this.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tw suicide!  
> Someone unfortunately decides to take his own life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a preface where **suicide** is present, be careful, please.  
> If this is too strong for you, but you still want to read the story, go to the next one, the tones will be a little lighter, I assure you, even if they will darken again as the chapters advance.  
> If you have suicidal thoughts, please, please absolutely, speak to a friend, a family member, someone who listens and understands you.  
> Someone once said "Take your life and make it a masterpiece", listen to them.

He wandered around the house, his long hair was dull and full of knots, his eyes vacant and surrounded by deep dark circles; the man was unable to recover from the pain of the loss and, even more, he was unable to sleep because he couldn't do it without the other man's presence. The mere thought of laying on the bed alone terrified him, his beloved would arrive soon, would come back to him soon, he had to stay awake, had to, had to, had to had had to...  
The only thing he wanted was to go back as those joyful days, to live with his beloved, go back to being happy...

In the garden, the man found a rope, he began to observe it, turning it over in his hands, it didn't seem to be broken; so the man took it and brought it into the house, went up the stairs, entered in their bedroom... The man stared at the bed for some time, he could not say how much had passed, he was only aware that he had lain there with his beloved on the first night together, and the following evenings... He grabbed the chair, went up and tied one end of the rope to the beam, the other one around his neck, his skin reddened a little for the rubbing, but it wasn't important... A life without him wasn't a real life, he thought looking at the altar of their love for the last time... The man jumped from the chair.

The rope became tense, the survival instinct made him put his hands around the neck to loosen the rope, his legs were shaking in search of a foothold so he could support himselves, but the chair had fallen, he had no support, fear screamed to get free immediately, but he couldn't, could not, could not breathe, it was too difficult, he coughed, coughed immensely, his head began to ache, his eyes teared with pain and fear, the heartbeat rumbled in his ears, he could no longer swallow, his mouth was open, the saliva fell on his chin, his tongue out in an attempt to take more air...

The cough stopped, as did the legs to squirm, the eyelids were closing, the heart was getting weaker minute after minute.  
A tear ran down his cheek, while a last thought crossed his mind, a voice called his name, it was happy, it was full of love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to scream with me, you can find me on [ **Tumblr** ](https://kira-7.tumblr.com) or [ **Twitter** ](https://mobile.twitter.com/kira7_13) 😄


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our main character, Ashley Rheingold, buys a house, a totally normal one. Aaand, she has a friend, Taylor, who helped her with moving house.

"Here we are," the real estate agent said.  
Ashley got out of the car, facing a two-storey house with a garden surrounded by a brick wall. The ground floor was with red bricks in view, while the external walls of the first floor were painted white.

"It's not bad," the woman exclaimed looking at it.

"And you should see the interior of the house," the man replied with a sly smile, adjusting his eyeglasses, "I'll lead the way, then, shall I?"  
The two entered a spacious hall, furnished with wooden furniture, well lit, then they headed towards the white kitchen, rather modern than the rest of the house.

"I'd say it's exactly like the pictures your colleague showed me," the woman said, brushing aside a strand of black hair.

"Do you want to see the floor above?"

"All right."  
The two were about to go up the stairs when Ashley saw a figure watching her out the window; the woman turned back, trying to look better, but she saw nothing besides the overgrown lawn.

"Are you all right, Mrs. Rheingold?," the man asked.

"Yes, I thought I saw someone."

The man smiled at her, continuing to climb, "I can assure you that there are no neighbors within five miles, it's a very quiet area, as you had expressly requested."  
The woman looked back out the window, uncertain, maybe it was just a passing bird, she shrugged and started to follow the man again.

* * *

"I don't understand how you manage to spend an entire life here after you have lived in a metropolis for thirty years."  
Taylor, Asley's best friend, accompanied her on that last trip from her old life to that new home.

"Believe me," Ashley replied carrying a box full of her things, "It's precisely because I have lived for thirty years in a metropolis that I now deserve a little peace and quiet."

"If you are happy... I would go crazy to be alone here."

"But I'm not you, fortunately," Ashley teased her friend a little, before embracing her affectionately.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?," Taylor asked.

"Yes."

"Call me for anything you need, okay? I'll take the car immediately, with some wine, some chicken wings and Colin Firth."  
Ashley laughed and noticed her eyesight became blurry, but she let go of Taylor who said goodbye, turned on her car and went away, observed by her friend behind the window.  
Ashley didn't want to give in to her friend, but actually it wasn't a good thing to go from the city noise to the natural quiet, she was a little disoriented, but the woman thought it would be only a matter of days, then she would get used to it.  
Ashley started fixing the last things, the move had lasted two weeks, and now she felt exhausted; she put the last cups in the kitchen, then decided to have tea while she would have seen some television. Ashley put the kettle on fire, then she wore a pajamas and, when she returned to the kitchen, the woman found a cup with a spoon already placed on the table.

"I must be really tired if I don't even remember getting the cup out."  
Once the water was ready, Ashley made tea, turned on the television to have some company, but she decided to look at the sunset; it was really nice to be able to observe it, it lit the kitchen red, at that moment she didn't regret having bought that house.  
Ashley was a journalist, she married John, a colleague of hers, but after a few months they divorced because they both didn't know what to tell each other, they looked like two strangers in the house.  
The woman yawned, she was too tired, so she washed the cup, took a shower and then settled under the covers of the bed, she immediately fell asleep, the next day she would go to town to do some shopping.  
The window opened and a cold breeze started to blow, Ashley started to tremble, luckily she covered herself a little more with the duvet, tomorrow she also would call someone to fix the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to scream with me, you can find me on [ **Tumblr** ](https://kira-7.tumblr.com) or [ **Twitter** ](https://mobile.twitter.com/kira7_13) 😄


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's meet Tadfield and its inhabitants! 🎉😍
> 
> But beware, strange little (for the moment) things begin to happen inside Ashley's house 😰 Is that a thief? What does he want? 😱

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhm... I think there's a bit of panic attack and negative thoughts... I tag them just in case, so you can decide if continue to read it or not ^^

Opening her eyes before the alarm sounded was a habit Ashley had inherited from her family, although she loved to sleep late, but the alarm would go off in the next ten minutes, it was worth getting up and starting the day, she would have to go to the village nearby to stock up and buy some decorations for the house, it seemed so bare, empty.  
Ashley rubbed her shoulder to relieve a pain born right there, she had surely slept in the wrong position that night, she thought; by the time of a shower and a quick breakfast, the woman was ready at the door to get the car, although she felt almost guilty about having to leave after a few hours from the actual transfer, but the things she needed were more than necessary, it couldn't postpone. She made one final adjustment to the high ponytail that held her dark hair tight and she felt definitively ready, she opened the door and went out, and then returned shortly afterwards because she had forgotten her car keys, as usual.

"If I don't have a neck, I'd forget my head too," she muttered.  
Somewhere far in the house, Ashley heard an almost amused huff, but it was probably her impression, or the moments of her previous city life that re-emerged, where she had shared the house with Taylor after the divorce, at least until she found this home. The woman took one last look at the entrance, thinking about how difficult it would be to get used to living alone, however she greeted anyway, promising the house that she would return as soon as possible.

* * *

Tadfield wasn't a village as Ashley had imagined, but it's a small town on the country's east cost, surrounded by greenery with a small airport a few miles away; its inhabitants had known each other since childhood, a new arrival was a novelty to talk about for days and days, an activity that both the old and young enjoyed, even if the feelings generated were different, like when a girl had arrived from afar and had taken up residence in a small cottage: that day Ronald Philip Tyler and Seamus Shadwell, better known respectively as R. P. Tyler and Sergeant Shadwell, one was the Tadfield Neighbourhood Watch, the other instead was the Sergeant of Tadfield, retired for years, and The Last Witchfinder, still convinced that evil was around the world, that the witches were the main culprits, and that he had to eradicate them all; well, both of them didn't find this young woman nice, while Tadfield's children were fascinated by her, together with Newton Pulsifer, the new security officer, even though he still looked like a cadet carrying out the Sergeant's orders, and Theresa Seelenfreund, whom everyone called Madame Tracy except for the Sergeant, he preferred to call her as Jezebel, convinced that it suited her more. Tadfield was chaired by Mayor Thaddeus Jonathan Dowling, who was always out for conferences, meetings, so the townspeople were more used to dealing with his wife, Harriet Harding, who was always busy with work and her husband's commitments to Tadfield, but she always managed to get by one way or another thanks to her enormous willpower.  
But these were things that we understood over time, once we got used to interpreting the various facets of the colorful inhabitants of that town, a skill that a newcomer like Ashley Rheingold hadn't developed yet, so she was quite surprised, and totally unprepared, to be surrounded by four children and a dog as soon as she got out of her car.

"Who are you?"

"Where are you from?"

"Why are you in Tadfield?"

"Are you an occultist like Anathema?"  
Really, Ashley had been a journalist for years, and never happened to be on the other side, did it feel that way every time people had to answer questions? As if a thousand spotlights were focused on her person and so many voices asked her anything?  
The woman took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a second to reopen them shortly after, smiling at the four children as she told them her name, where she came from and where she started to live.

"Wow, cool!," exclaimed a little boy with dark blond hair and heavenly eyes, the other three boys nodded in agreement with his statement, "Are you a witch?," he returned to ask her as if that was the most important thing, but Ashley denied, having the impression that she disappointed the boys, but they quickly changed the subject.

"Greasy Johnson and his minions went there one night on Halloween, convinced it was bewitched."

"And what happened then?"

"They ran away frightened."

"We have to tell Anathema, maybe she can tell us something."  
While the four children were discussing her new home, Ashley preferred to wriggle out and go shopping, so she walked into a small grocery store.

* * *

"I'm home!," Mrs Rheingold exclaimed, putting the keys in the ashtray next to the door, then she put the envelopes on the ground to wipe away with her sleeve those few drops of sweat that beaded her forehead, the last days of a summer that was coming to an end; the woman was starting to arrange the shopping, when she heard footsteps coming from the kitchen, therefor Ashley looked out the door to check, but she saw no one, neither to the right nor to the left, it was probably just the wood creaking, however she heard again the same noise in the living room. Ashley, sure she wasn't imagining everything, ran there, again finding herself alone... Was Taylor playing a joke on her? It wasn't like her friend.  
The brunette woman picked up her phone and began dialing her friend's number to verify, but the call was closed almost immediately with a message, " _I'm in a meeting. I'll call you later._ " Taylor was at work, therefore, and no one else had her house's keys, were the real estate agents instead? Since when did they keep the keys to a house already sold?

Once again, Ashley's ears sensed those same footsteps coming from the studio, or rather, a small library room, that Ashley would soon turn into her personal office to write future articles. Before entering the room, Ashley grabbed the first thing she found, assuming there was a thief. She walked silently to the door, hearing more noises coming from within the room - what professional thief was rummaging through a bookcase that had no safe?, she grabbed the handle and, after taking a deep breath and checking how firm her grip was on the object, Ashley quickly opened the door and yelled, "FREEZE!"  
Unfortunately, or fortunately thinking about it, she didn't find anyone, but it couldn't be possible, after the third time she had heard suspicious noises it couldn't be possible that she was alone in the house; Ashley took a few steps, looking around cautiously, looking for any sign of another person. For a moment, the woman had an instinct to ask if anyone was there, but as a teenager she had watched too many horror films, and asking such a question almost always amounted to certain death.

After checking inch by inch that the room was empty, the woman breathed a sigh of relief and scratched the back of her neck, "I must be more tired than yesterday," she pitied herself.

"I suppose so, my dear, a purse as a defense weapon isn't the best thing."  
All it occurred to Ashley to do was yell and throw the aforementioned purse at the stranger, to run away and take refuge inside a closet.

* * *

" _Ashley, honey, what happened?_ "

"There's a thief in my house," she whispered into her phone, being afraid of being caught.  
The tone on the other side of the call changed dramatically.

" _I'll call the police and have them come to you immediately._ "

"Hurry."  
Ashley closed the call and began to pay attention to any noise around her, but she could only hear her agitated breathing, so she tried to calm down, inhaling slowly one two three... And exhaling quietly four five six... She had to stay focused without getting caught from fear, she had to react. She was a city woman, she knew perfectly well how she had to act!  
Very gently and without making it creak, Ashley began to open the wardrobe door, crumbled out but noticed nothing, consequently she opened it completely and went out of the wardrobe, there was no one in the room and she couldn't hear a noise downstairs, maybe that thief was gone, but what did he want? There were few things of value in the house, it was better to go to the bank to steal her money than to enter the house.

Someone knocked on the front door, breaking Ashley's breath as she stepped back and put her hands to her chest to calm the fast heartbeats; then the bell rang and the woman decided that perhaps it would be better to go downstairs and open the door.  
On her way, Ashley looked around, thinking that the man might come out at any moment to attack her; or perhaps he would wait for whoever was behind the door to leave so he could act undisturbed?

"Who's there?," she asked with a note of panic in her voice.

"Agent Pulsifer," said a male voice on the other side, Ashley felt she could breathe a sigh of relief only when he added, "We got a call from a woman, she said to come here as soon as possible."  
Taylor was a sweetheart, Ashley found herself thinking with a smile as she opened the door, revealing a young man with brown hair, glasses and a careful but delicate gaze before her.

"Good afternoon, Miss...?," he raised an eyebrow.

"Mrs Rheingold. The call was from a friend of mine," she began to say, pulling a lock of hair behind her ear, "I think there is, or was, a thief... I don't know what he wanted! There's nothing of value here and--"

The agent, after considering whether or not to interrupt her, preferred to speak after clearing his throat, "Ca-can I come in and have a look Mrs?"  
Ashley nodded and opened the door, letting the agent in, and looked out to check, noting that there was only the agent's car with hers, no other sign of life; however the woman frowned: it had taken her a good half hour to get to Tadfield, and Taylor had called the police only five, ten minutes ago. Suspicious, she closed the door ajar, without taking her eyes off the stranger who had just entered her house and carefully observed every single room to be sure everything was in order.

"Could you describe the thief's appearance?," asked the agent.  
In reality, Ashley hadn't paid much attention to what the thief was like physically, if she had to describe him she would only have said that he was blond, and that he had a baritone, relaxed voice, one of those who always had the situation under control, typical attitude of a serial killer.

"He was blond," she confessed, always keeping a certain distance so as not to be caught unprepared, "I didn't notice much, I ran away as soon as I saw him."

"And didn't he run after you?"  
The woman shook her head, earning a glance from the agent.

"You're really lucky."

Ashley didn't answer, let a few minutes pass and then plucked up the courage to clear up the doubt that was buzzing in her head, "How did you get to my house right away? Tadfield's a bit far from here."  
Usually, at such a question, the other person would turn around, change their attitude, becoming more threatening, that sweet look would turn into a cold and merciless one, and that gun attached to the belt would be an ideal weapon of the crime... Fortunately for her it wasn't the case.

"My - uh..." Ashley could see how the tips of his ears were suddenly tinged with red as he put his hand behind his head, definitely an abnormal behavior for a killer, "Friend, she has a... Sixth sense very developed, or something like that," he turned to look at the woman, becoming serious again.

"She told me I should come here, your friend's call only confirmed Anathema's theory."

Ashley deduced that Anathema was this friend of the agent, and the shy smile on the young man's face made her think that such a boy couldn't be dangerous.

* * *

"For anything, don't hesitate to contact the police, we'll do our best to come as soon as possible."  
Ashley walked Agent Pulsifer to the door, much calmer after checking the entire house, though she couldn't tell who the man might be.

"Thanks agent."  
Newton lowered his head and waved his hand, revealing how young he was, making the woman tender.

"Mrs Rheingold?"

"Yup?"

The agent looked left and right, he seemed unsure whether to speak or not, "It might sound absurd but you see... Er... Anathema, my... My--"

"Your friend, yeah," she gave him a little help with a knowing smile, imagining that this Anathema wanted her autograph since she was a familiar face in the country.

"Yes, her... Um... Here... She told me to tell you to... To keep a light on at night," he revealed, unconsciously stabbing the journalist's pride.

"Oh," she said somewhat surprised, "Is that all?"

"I'm afraid so. I don't know what that means, but she told me it was about your security," he tapped his fingers on the hat, tightening the lining sometimes.

Ashley nodded and smiled as if she understood what this elusive Anathema was referring to, "Don't worry, Agent Pulsifer. I'll take care of it."

"Well... Good evening then."

"Good evening to you," the woman greeted, closing the door behind her.

Alone again, Ashley put her hands on her arms as she took a few steps around the house, looking around... The sunset colored the walls red and orange, a beautiful sight, but this didn't calm the brunette who sat on an armchair staring into space. Only one day had passed, yet it seemed to her that years, perhaps centuries, had passed since the last time she lived with someone, the woman felt that silence suffocate her, she turned on the television to muffle the sensation but changed little; Ashley longed to talk to someone, someone friendly, someone to share her thoughts and fears with. She thought of calling Taylor to reassure her, however she found it a bad idea, Taylor probably didn't care if she was okay or not, she felt silly for yelling at the thief when no one was there, she began to think it was a joke of her mind to have imagined that man, while other thoughts whispered malignantly that hers was all a pursuit of attention, only when her hurt ego would be satisfied, when someone would seek and find her, then she would return to her old city life, with her old friends and her old job... But her friends didn't know how bad she was, they would be happy with her return, maybe, and everything would be back to normal without anyone asking her how she was and why she had made such a reckless and sudden gesture.  
The cell phone rang, but the woman didn't answer, she preferred to go to bed and sleep, hoping to wake up the next day with a new perspective. Ashley was about to turn off the lamplight when the agent's words came back to her memory. Why should she keep the lights on? She was no longer a child who was afraid of the dark. Besides, she thought rationally, thieves didn't fear a lit lamp, alarms were ideals, or watchdogs... Anything but a simple lamplight.  
Ashley then decided to turn it off, closing her eyes and starting to breathe calmly to facilitate sleep, not knowing that the next morning she would wake up with a severe headache and a bruise behind her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading ^^
> 
> If you want to scream with me, you can find me on [ **Tumblr** ](https://kira-7.tumblr.com) or [ **Twitter** ](https://mobile.twitter.com/kira7_13) 😄


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who's this stranger in Ashley's house?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, before you start, let me show you how Ashley and Taylor look like.  
> [](http://www.imagebam.com/image/3dbc8b1359696030) This is our Ashley  
> [](http://www.imagebam.com/image/4ae6871359696027) This is our Taylor
> 
> I made their faces using [Artbreeder](https://artbreeder.com/browse)

The next day, Ashley had to deal with that severe headache, she decided to take an aspirin, hoping it would take effect immediately. While preparing the coffee, the woman thought about the strange experience of the previous day, trying to look at it from a different, more professional point of view, as the important journalist she was.  
It had been her dream since she was a child, to tell stories, to be able to reveal the truth, and nowadays being a journalist was the profession that best encompassed these two characteristics. She had studied with dedication, occasionally she had lost heart, but thanks to Taylor's friendship she had always managed to overcome those moments of discouragement; the family was proud of her, even though they weren't particularly interested in the path she had decided to take. Taylor, on the other hand, had always supported her, sometimes even berating her as an older sister, despite being a couple of years younger than Ashley; their friendship blossomed during adolescence, both of them were at the editorial office of the school newspaper, even if for different reasons.  
While drinking coffee, Ashley took her cell phone and unlocked it, finding it full of messages and calls from her friend, and the brunette regretted not having answered her the night before; she pressed the call button and waited, mentally preparing herself for the lecture that awaited her.

" _What happened to you yesterday?_ ," Taylor answered from the other end of the phone, " _I also called the police, but they told me they came to check and everything was fine. What excuse are you calling me now, after a night of staying awake?_ "

Ashley sighed, feeling really guilty about her friend's status of concern, put down her cup and rubbed her forehead, "You're right," she told her after a few moments, "I wasn't at my best, I'm sorry."

She heard a resigned sigh from the other side, " _Saying I'm sorry isn't enough._ "

Ashley was silent for a while longer, she really was sorry for the way she had behaved, but evidently Taylor wanted more, she closed her eyes and brought the microphone of her cell phone almost to her mouth, "I'm a bad friend, I know, after what happened yesterday I wanted to be alone with my thoughts, noticing that there was no one dangerous, I believed it was all in my imagination, that it was some distorted memory of John, I-I don't know... But believe me, I didn't want to make you feel bad, you are one of the few people I would never want to see suffer because of me."

The woman was only able to open her eyes at that moment, with the consequence that she held her breath until she heard a sigh of relief from Taylor, " _Oh my Gosh, you are tremendous, you know?_ "

That harmless insult had the effect of lightening the atmosphere around the journalist who, with a smile on her lips, and a roll of her eyes to heaven, replied "And you are an angel compared to me."

From the study there was a thud that made Ashley turn immediately, instinctively she tightened the grip at her cell phone and swallowed, she didn't pay attention to what her friend was saying, perhaps she interrupted Taylor when she said in a tone with alarmed voice and without raising her voice too much, "Stay on line."

At that request, Taylor on the other side asked her what was going on but, given Ashley's lack of response, she stayed on, there were quick footsteps and then, after a whispered " _I am here_ ," silence enveloped the call, the brunette had figured Taylor had gone to get her work cell phone in case there was an emergency, and mentally thanked her for that thought. To be safe, she also calmly opened a drawer and pulled out a knife, if the previous day's thief had mocked her for having used a simple purse as a defense weapon, well, this time he wouldn't have laughed so much...  
Now that she was ready, Ashley headed into the study without making the parquet creak, thinking how strange the situation was, she had never heard from her colleagues of thieves returning two days in a row to their targeted houses, probably this was one at still early weapons, despite the voice she had heard belonged to an adult man.  
The door was open and Ashley entered, holding her breath, calmly looked first to the right and then to the left, again not seeing anyone alive.

" _Tap the microphone twice, are you alright?_ ," Taylor whispered to her, alert, Ashley pictured her wide-eyed, afraid she would make some noise that would alarm the thief; the reporter, with a fingertip, tapped twice on the phone's microphone, causing the other side to breathe a sigh of relief, " _Be careful, please._ "  
Ashley inspected the room, looked around every corner, but all she found was an open book that had fallen at the foot of a two-seater couch, Ashley put her cell phone between her shoulder and cheek and bent to pick it up and lay it closed on the coffee table.

"Hey, it's all right," she told at Taylor, returning to her normal pose.

" _Are you sure? What was it then?_ "

"A fallen book."

" _Was really only that?_ "

"Yeah, I checked the whole room, there's nobody here."

" _What if he came out the window?_ ," she asked in an alarmed tone.

"The roller shutter is just under halfway up, and the glasses are closed."  
There was a moment of silence, Ashley took the opportunity to go back to the kitchen.

" _Maybe it's me, but the house you bought is starting to frighten me._ "

Ashley laughed, bowing her head, putting the knife back, now that she had checked she no longer had to be afraid, "No, it has its charm actually."

" _Oh, sure, if you're a thief._ "

The journalist sighed and rubbed her hand on her face, after all she had to agree with Taylor, considering that she had no neighbor, and that the nearest town was more than half an hour away, made this house a delicious dish for all thieves, experts or not, but she had left the city on purpose to be alone, "What should I do, resell it after two days of buying it?"

" _Ash, listen_ \--" there was a rustle, Taylor was probably better seated wherever she was sitting, " _It's not by getting away from everything and everyone that you will solve problems, and you don't have to be the one giving up on the city just because you don't want to see John on streets or at work, do you understand me?_ "  
The brunette sat down on the worktop, remaining silent, she wanted to answer that Taylor was right, that she shouldn't have acted like this, yet her head didn't want to be convinced that it had made a too risky decision.

" _Are you still there?_ "

"Yes, sorry, I was thinking... Maybe I just have to get used to it... Give me a couple of weeks to think about it, you see, if episodes like last night recur, I'll call the agency and put it up for sale immediately, okay?"

On the other end of the phone, Taylor wanted to answer that in a couple of weeks anything could happen, even risk dying from a robbery, but she wanted to trust her friend, so she agreed to the request, making her happy, " _Now what will you do?_ "

"I guess I'll get to work, I have that article to write about what happened last week."

" _That accident at the school?_ "

"That accident at the school, that's right."

Taylor took a deep breath, " _Promise me you'll have your cell phone beside you, and you won't do any nonsense?_ "

"I promise, cross my heart. In fact, I'll do more, every three hours I send you a message to tell you that everything is fine, okay?"  
Although hers was a sarcastic question, Taylor agreed and told her she would call the police if she didn't hear from her friend within the next three hours.  
And the call ended shortly after that.

* * *

A couple of hours passed, Ashley was re-reading the finished article for quite a while, but something in the way she had written it didn't convince her, especially at the end there was missing that something with which she usually ended her articles, to look for it she tried to open the browser however she discovered that the telephone line wasn't equipped with Wi-Fi, she would have to call the operator to make a new tariff plan, then she tried to use her mobile phone, but the options offered couldn't inspire her enough to write a good ending.  
After making a brief mental summary of all the possibilities, Ashley decided to head into the study, hoping to find the right inspiration among those books, a sentence, even a title was enough; she brought her cell phone, just to be safe, and once she got there she started reading the various covers, many books were the result of Oscar Wilde's pen, there were also translated books by Greek and modern philosophers, some good classics, astronomy books, books dealing with the Apocalypse, Heaven and Hell... Probably, Ashley deduced, the previous owners were religious people, given the numerous Bibles, of different bills and in different languages, present on the shelves... She took the first book that called her attention, _Robert Henry Charles' Critical Edition of the Book of Enoch_ , 1906, raised her eyebrows letting out a sound of wonder, picked up the book and opened the pages at random, ready to lower her eyes to read the lines, when a male voice behind her interrupted her.

"I'd rather you put that book back in its place, my dear."

Ashley, in fright, jumped and brought the book to her chest, turning immediately to see who was there, yet she found herself alone in the room, instinctively closed the book immediately, placing it on the shelf from where she had taken it, but just as she was leaving the room, the woman turned and looked back at that shelf, why did she have to act as if she was to please someone, as if she was carrying out an order given by a voice that didn't belong to anyone? With a frown, and at a brisk pace, Ashley went back to where she was and took another book and opened it, this time without even looking at the title, and read aloud the first lines she saw, " _'Wonder not, sovran Mistress, if perhaps Thou canst, who art sole Wonder, much less arm Thy looks, the Heav'n of mildness, with disdain, Displeas'd that I approach thee thus, and gaze Insatiate, I thus single, nor have feard Thy awful brow, more awful thus retir'd. Fairest resemblance of thy Maker faire, Thee'_ \--"

"I certainly didn't mean that you could get another one, my request is addressed to all the books in this house."

This time, Ashley wasn't intimidated, she turned quickly and saw a man with blond hair, almost candid, sitting comfortably on the couch, and pointed the closed book at him, ready to throw it at him, "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?"

The man chuckled and looked up, pointing at her, and couldn't help a coldly friendly smile, "My dear, I suppose there's a terrible misunderstanding, this is my home."

At that statement, the journalist was petrified for a second, not expecting such an answer, meanwhile the stranger took the opportunity to speak calmly, implying that he had the situation under control, "And I would ask you again to put down that book, it's a first edition, it was difficult to find."

Ashley automatically closed the book and checked the publication date, 1667, in fact he hadn't been wrong, putting it back in its place without taking her eyes off the man, "Now I'll call the police and see what they have to say about it."

The man didn't get upset, on the contrary, he wiggled, adjusting himself better on the couch and folded his hands in front of the beige waistcoat he was wearing, "Please, go ahead."

Not having to repeat it twice, the woman grabbed her cell phone, looked away just a second to dial the number and activate the speakerphone, but when she raised her eyes, the man was gone, leaving her alone with the operator who had recently answered, " _911, how can I help you?_ "

Ashley remained silent for a moment, looking for that man all over the room, even in the corridor leading to the study, but she found no one and the woman mulled how it could have happened, then the operator thought about bringing her back to reality; apologizing, the brunette closed the call, and shortly after dialed the number of the real estate agency: that man said he was the landlord, and Ashley wanted to clarify the situation, "Hello, good afternoon, I'm Ashley Rheingold, can I talk with Mr. Peterson? Thank you, I can wait."

She waited a few minutes indeed, during which she went into the kitchen and sat down on a chair, and when she turned to the window, she was shocked to find that man again by the window holding a white-winged cup in his hands, he stared intently at her and nodded his head to her cell phone, "I think that devilry is talking," he whispered.

Ashley turned her attention back to her cell phone, where the real estate agent was waiting, "Good afternoon, yes, I'm Mrs Rheingold. I would like to know who came to you to sell the house I bought the other day. Mhmh. Mhmh. Ah, so that isn't information you can divulge. In the town near here, they told me the previous owner was a man. A-a woman? Oh, and was she married? This is part of that information you can't-- I understand. Ok, thank you, goodbye," she closed the call and put her cell phone on the table, "Did you hear? The previous owner was a woman, so--" she looked back to where the man was, but again she found herself alone and it worried her.

* * *

" _So_?"

"So what?"

" _What are you going to do?_ "

Ashley went into her bedroom, it was already evening, in the afternoon she had called the telephone company and they had planned in two days to start the works to modernize the house, there were many works that needed to be done, but Internet was the priority in the 21st century, also because she couldn't always use her cell phone as a hotspot; the woman activated the speakerphone to place it on the dresser, so that she could sprinkle the cream on her face for the night in front of the mirror.  
"I have no idea... I think I'm going to go to Tadfield and look for information about it, and see who this man is, or rather find something about the previous owner," she turned away from the mirror, not noticing that her reflection stood still and assumed an inhuman form, "I don't want to be involved in marital or family disputes or whatever."

" _Well... Look at the bright side._ "

Ashley came back in front of the mirror, her reflection returned to normal and was following her movements, "And what was that?"  
On the other side of the call, Taylor was silent for a moment.

" _You could cohabit with a great man!_ ," she then exclaimed with a joy that Ashley found forced, however she didn't give it any weight, instead she narrowed her eyes and snorted in amusement.

"Yeah, sure, as if I want a relationship right now."

Taylor gave a small chuckle and then resumed speaking, " _Honey, I'd like to be able to keep talking to you all the night, but I have--_ " a loud yawn spread through the brunette's bedroom, who smiled warmly.

"Don't worry, I'll let you know how it goes."

" _Mh, okay. Goodnight Ash._ "

"'Night sleepyhead."

And with a laugh, the journalist closed the call, putting her cell phone to charge; once she lay on the bed with the blankets up to her nose, Ashley turned off the lamplight, but when she was lying on her side, she saw a human shadow projected on the wall that loomed menacingly behind her. She instinctively turned on the light again and turned, but she was alone in the bedroom...  
Self-convinced that it was only an illusion given by the branches of the trees, the woman turned off the light again, and squeezed her eyes tight in the hope that sleep would come as soon as possible.


End file.
